Lamar Odom, Dallas Mavericks Mutually Agree to Part Ways

The Lamar Odom Era in Dallas has come to an abrupt, unfortunate end. The team has agreed for the struggling forward to walk away for the remainder of the season. Reports ESPN: “The Mavericks and I have mutually agreed that it’s in the best interest of both parties for me to step away from the team,’ Odom said. ‘I’m sorry that things didn’t work out better for both of us, but I wish the Mavs’ organization, my teammates and Dallas fans nothing but continued success in the defense of their championship.’ Sources said Monday that Odom’s departure will be immediate and that the Mavericks intend to simply list him as inactive for the rest of the season instead of outright releasing him, leaving open the possibility that they could still trade him after the season in conjunction with the draft. Any team that has Odom on its roster as of June 29 must buy him out by that date for $2.4 million or otherwise accept responsibility for the full $8.2 million that Odom is scheduled to earn in 2012-13. Even if either side had pushed for a formal release, there is little upside to taking that step now with Odom ineligible to play in the playoffs with another team because he wasn’t waived before the March 23 deadline. One source close to the 32-year-old said that the decision sets Odom up to ‘clear his head and start getting ready for next season’ after his career-low numbers and minutes continued to dip as the season wore on. […] Both coach Rick Carlisle and Nowitzki refused to discuss the Odom situation after Dallas’ 94-89 defeat to the Grizzlies. ‘No Lamar questions tonight,’ Carlisle told reporters. Nowitzki, meanwhile, fielded questions for four minutes about his own struggles in the Memphis defeat — including two late turnovers — but ended the interview when asked about Odom. ‘I’m done talking about that,’ Nowitzki said.”